What Iraqis Really Think

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Griff

Those are all French instances of anti-democratic and / or poor international acting. Through several threads we've seen commentary from A D about our poor record which I readily admit and questions about our stability which I also have. Assuming he's French, I just want to be sure he isn't holding France up as a model for stable democracies.

I agree. The French and the U.S. have very similar pedigrees. We were both created by revolution from monarchies. We are both Republics. We both annexed colonies or territories. We both are struggling with immigration issues.

The reason that the French appear to annoy Europeans more than Americans do is

a) Proximity - France is not quite in the middle of Europe
b) Military - The U.S. has one of the largest armies in the world. We currently have only one loss due to forfeit (Vietnam) and one tie (Korea). The French have pretty much lost any conflict in the past 100 years to any country that had access to gunpowder. In spite of this many people feel they are as arrogant as the US. If a bulldog growls and barks it gets respect. If a miniature poodle does the same it gets annoyed looks.

That being said, they do have great food, nice music, grand architecture, and some of the most beautiful women in the world.

I'd also trade GWB in for Sarkozy in a heartbeat. The man has even managed to out-Clinton Clinton in the mistress department. Instead of a chubby intern, the man is screwing a supermodel!

[Griff]

Yep. France is awesome, but they have many of the same issues we do. American women kinda rock though, being from everywhere and all.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Griff

Yep. France is awesome, but they have many of the same issues we do. American women kinda rock though, being from everywhere and all.

Difficult to make a comparison without a taste test.

We now return you to your previously scheduled thread.

[Trilby]

AD sent me a PM asking why I am not defending him against you all and your bashing of him due to what he said about my sig. as he couldn't possibly know about me (yet he presumed to know about me by saying I have no "nirvana"; clearly, he's never seen me post-demerol injetion) so here is this: Please leave AD alone and let him say whatever he wants without censure or contrariness on your part(s). He is only trying to express himself and if you can't see that he is in PAIN and is a HUMAN and it's not his FAULT that your tiny mind(s) cannot understand him and his brilliant strategy for running the world and taking over America (really, he's only trying to save us from ourselves--somebody has to!)


Sufficient, AD?


You're kind of a snot, aren't you? Presumptuous asshat.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by Griff

Yep. France is awesome, but they have many of the same issues we do. American women kinda rock though, being from everywhere and all.

France Sux.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Brianna

snip~ Please leave AD alone and let him say whatever he wants without censure or contrariness on your part(s). He is only trying to express himself and if you can't see that he is in PAIN and is a HUMAN and it's not his FAULT that your tiny mind(s) cannot understand him and his brilliant strategy for running the world and taking over America (really, he's only trying to save us from ourselves--somebody has to!)


Sufficient, AD?


You're kind of a snot, aren't you? Presumptuous asshat.

What did I tell ya!

Originally Posted by Bruce

No matter what you're seeing in the mirror, Bri... I know it's still you in there, baby. You feel like shit, but you're still that irascible bitch we all love.

[Trilby]

thanks, xob!

[regular.joe]

Brianna,

I don't know you really. I thought you handled that very well.

[TheMercenary]

Fuck the French and the Swede's...

[classicman]

US deaths in Iraq hit four-year low
Published: January 2 2008 02:11 | Last updated: January 2 2008 02:11

US military deaths in Iraq fell in December to the lowest monthly total in almost four years, and estimates of civilian deaths also showed a sharp decline.

However, 28 people were reported killed in a suicide bombing in east Baghdad on Tuesday, underscoring that the violence continues.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Turkish jets strike targets in Kurdish Iraq - Dec-27
Iraqi minister allays fears over Sunni groups - Dec-24
US cautions on Iraq progress - Dec-19
Snub for Rice over Turkey airstrike on Iraq - Dec-18
US weighs Iraq post-surge troop levels - Dec-18
Editorial Comment: Beating the retreat from a broken Iraq - Dec-17

Twenty-two US troops were reported killed in December, the lowest total since February 2004 and the second-lowest monthly toll of the war. A British soldier also died as the result of an accident. In contrast, the US military reported 112 fatalities in December 2006.

The independent Iraq Body Count, a website that tallies press reports of civilian deaths, logged 902 Iraqi fatalities in December, compared with more than 2,500 for each of July and August. Government ministries noted 481 civilian deaths, compared with 1,930 in December 2006.

In a sign of increased public confidence, residents of several Baghdad districts danced in the streets and set off fireworks to mark the new year in midnight celebrations that would have been difficult to imagine in the fear-racked capital of a year ago.

US and Iraqi officials credit the decline in violence to the “surge” of US troops, as well as Sunni Arab rejection of the radical al-Qaeda movement and a ceasefire called by Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical Shia cleric.

Troop numbers in Iraq, however, are already beginning to come down, and Iraqi politicians have yet to reach agreements on key issues that divide the country’s ethnic and sectarian blocs. Senior US commander General David Petraeus warned on Saturday that progress was “tenuous in many areas and could be reversed”.

Despite the decline in violence in its second half, the first six months of 2007 were deadly for US troops and Iraqi civilians. With about 900 deaths reported, 2007 was the bloodiest year of the war for the US military.

[jinx]

Love ya Bri!

[Trilby]

AD sent me another PM. It speaks for itself:

"Considering your public response and my studies of psycological matters, I’m now compeltely convinced that you haven’t any life-threatening illness at all and that you are merely putting it on to win sympathy unjustly. You’re a very sad human being indeed."

He thinks I'm faking having breast cancer--oh, if only he could've seen my breasts!! He'd know I'd never joke about them!!

what a maroon!

anyhoo---he's a sociopath. I suggest we poke him with a stick until he says "Uncle!"
__________________

[ZenGum]

That he was devoid of manners and empathy was clear, but that line ...
It's a pity 'cause some of what he says is kind of interesting.
I had been working on the theory that he had arrived from other boards which were by default adversarial, assumed that it would be the same here, and was taking a while to learn that it is generally otherwise. But I dunno ... when do we unleash the pet dog discussion?

[DanaC]

Well...I'm generally quite uncomfortable about PMs being shared with the board and I also know the ease with which a small community like ours can slip into bullying/gang mentality....in this instance, however, I'd say a PM like that constitutes harrassment.

AD if you are reading this, can I very politely ask you to fuck off? How dare you jump to such a conclusion based on a smattering of board replies. Brianna has shared the ups and downs of her illness, from the fear of her first diagnosis, through to seeking advice on treatment, the depression and nasuea of early chemo and the loss of her hair (hence the Buddha sig) right through to the up days of late when she's been able to return to classes and go out and about.

Again, I repeat, fuck off. You took a risk in sending that PM. The risk being if you were wrong (which you are) you could be seriously upsetting someone who is dealing with one of the hardest trials possible in life. That you took that risk tells me that you either a) cannot conceive of being wrong, or b) don't give a shit if you upset someone in those circumstances.

Either way you just lost any respect/liking that was starting to build in my mind. The anti-American stuff, well, we've had that before and its not the worst thing in the world. But you just walked into our bar and insulted our friend, insulted and risked hurting/upsetting deeply. Fuck you.

[Trilby]

wow. thanks, Dana.

You know, I've never shared a PM before now but I DID share these--the one in full glorious quotes--because AD is bothering me with these things. I want to know if Tony can keep him from sending me PM's.